God's Will

The Way Life SHOULD Be.

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If only we all kept that verse written on our hearts…Take heart, JESUS has overcome!! We have no reason to fear, if we only follow His Word and His Leading.

If only we had more carefully heeded this Scripture last May…

Check out the video below to find out how God redirected everything and is bringing us full circle: {click or tap on the image below and the video will play}

2 Corinthians 3:17 says, “Now the Lord is Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom.”

I cannot express to you how immeasurably that verse fits into our impending move and new journey for His Kingdom! The Lord has made this next step an increasingly joyful one for us! Gone are the fears about money and creature comforts and being tasked with a hugely important endeavor – for we have the freedom of knowing we are in the will of God. We know without a shadow of a doubt He has provided and will continue to! We walk in His freedom as His children, joint heirs with Christ!!

What a weight off our backs to allow Him to guide us and carry our heavy loads of worry! What a joy to serve our Sovereign Lord and King! What a privilege to be entrusted with such vital ministry!

Please continue praying for us and please pray especially for this grassroots youth ministry!

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I promise to do a better job of keeping you all posted on God’s work in our lives and through us. As soon as this move is complete…and our house is painted…and unpacked…I think I’ll have a little more time on my hands… #wishfulthinking Well, at the very least, I won’t have a 29 mile = 2 hour commute. Each. Way. #bethankful

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Asheville, NC this weekend!

We love you all and hope you’ll all pay us a visit!!

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What's Up Wednesday

What’s Up Wednesday – A Post-Christmas Edition

Wednesday

It’s been a little while since we shared a ‘What’s Up Wednesday’ with y’all…

Partially, that’s because much of our current season of life has been about waiting in prayer. Waiting for Jonah. Waiting to proceed with the adoption process. Waiting on the Lord’s leading. Waiting…

Part of me feels as if at least a portion of our wait is over. We are ready to take on the next journey at our feet! But in the meantime…

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My precious husband took me to see The Nutcracker performed by the Atlanta Ballet at The Fabulous Fox Theatre. It was wonderful! I have wanted to see this ballet in person since childhood, so this truly was a dream come true – Craig’s pretty good about making that happen for me! 😉

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Right after this, we also had the pleasure of ‘baby’sitting for our fur-nephew, Copper. He’s my brother and his girlfriend’s precious pup, and made fast friends with his fur-cousins, Lucy & Caroline – Especially Lucy. Those two were peas in a pod, for sure!!! Aunt Pier sure was excited that Lucy had someone to play with non-stop, so that she and Caroline could relax and enjoy some good ol’ tv in peace! 🙂

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Christmas 2015 was a glorious one, as well. It’s always wonderful to spend time with our families – and our celebration is only halfway over! We enjoyed Christmas Day with our Georgia Family, and travel to Minnesota to see our family there this month!!

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Of course the furs enjoyed Christmas, as well! Pardon the blurry picture…but this is an action shot of Lucy Goose playing her favorite game of tug-of-war with one of her favorite Christmas gifts – The Red Snake. When she isn’t tugging her precious little heart out, she is dragging the fluffy rope-snake around in her mouth like a toddler with a ‘blankie’. She is TRULY adorable.

Her sisters, Caroline & Miss Daisy, are not to be outdone, though! They merely consider themselves to be older and wiser than little Lucy, and thoroughly relished in the opportunity the holidays allowed them to spend more time snuggling with Mommy & Daddy.

I can’t say we minded any of it one little bit.

Well, you can cross this off of your list for today. You’re all caught up on our lives. 😉 How were your holidays – Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year’s?

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My Choice Monday

A Top Ten List For Your Top Ten Places

MondayIt’s already Monday?!?! Wow, it feels like this weekend just flew by! Not only was I busy with cooking (Craig’s) meals for this week, but when Craig arrived home on Saturday afternoon, we enjoyed the beautiful day walking at the Marietta Square and having dinner at Stockyard Burgers & Bones – where I was delighted to find they served not only gluten-free buns, but also lettuce wraps for their burgers! Yippee!

After church on Sunday, we began getting Craig ready for his trips this week with more cooking – that man eats pretty well, if I do say so myself! 😉 We also took the pups to a nearby dog park, and all ran around and played catch as a family. Anyone who thinks it takes human children to turn a married couple into a family is sadly mistaken. We are just the family God designed us to be at this moment in our marriage!! (Not that we can’t wait to see what He has in store for our next season!) You should have seen us running around out there, talking to Lucy & Caroline as if they were people! 🙂 They are my heart!

What are your weekend activities? Where are your favorite places to spend with your loved ones? For our My Choice Monday post, we have compiled a list of some of our faves (in Georgia & Maine) for free time fun:

  1. The Marietta Square
  2. Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield Park
  3. Silver Comet Trail
  4. Elements
  5. Old Orchard Beach Pier
  6. Downtown Portland
  7. The Sun Dial
  8. Kayaking at Big Cedar Creek
  9. White Oak Park
  10. Westbrook River Walk

So now it’s your turn? What do you like to do on the weekends, or in your spare time with your loved ones? There was a time we spent way too much time indoors and at home, but now, we are facing the beautiful opportunities the Lord provides each day by celebrating His glorious creation as much as we possibly can!

It’s amazing how the feeling of a long week and a tired earthly body can be reactivated with a little bit of fun! 🙂

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TTC Tuesday

I Am Weak, But He Is Strong

Dear Friends,

I confess – it’s been way too long since we poured our hearts, convictions and faith out to you via this blog. I have felt guilty –‘wake me up in the middle of the night’ guilty…because I know that the Lord wants to use me, my marriage, my hardships, my faith, as a vessel for leading others to Him. But…it’s hard, y’all. It’s really hard.

You all know we followed His call to Maine this past summer – almost a year ago! But you may not know that we are back in Georgia. After nine months of sharing His love with the precious youth of Southern Maine, God planted the desire for ‘home’…and with that, the desire to adopt a child…and with that, the necessary funds to make all of this happen with a promotion to Captain for Craig and a great job for me.

So, here we are, back in Georgia – ‘home’, and totally neglecting this blog and this ‘ministry’ – after we have been so immensely blessed. And I feel so guilty.

And while you may think this is a shrug your shoulders, no big deal, get a grip lady! kinda thing…it really isn’t. You don’t know the e-mails we receive, telling us how something has touched one of our readers; the requests for prayer from some who follow this blog from prison…Yes, I feel guilty for letting these people down when I am so unimaginably blessed, and so many are broken.

But I confess something to you…I try to be strong. Full of faith. Hopeful. Prayerfully diligent. But I fall so hard.

There are at least two days every week when I sob and ugly cry alone because ‘it just isn’t fair’ that I can’t give my sweet husband a child.

It just ‘isn’t fair’ that instead of going out for lunch with my co-workers, I head downstairs to the building’s gym to work-out during my hour-long break. I don’t eat gluten, carbs, sugar, anything fun. I drink apple cider vinegar with baking soda, and take a regimen of coconut oil, but no matter what, my blood sugar refuses to cooperate, my hormones will not level out and I can’t shed a pound, let alone maintain my weight.

I’ve felt like Job.

I’ve felt like David in a mournful Psalm.

I try so hard to be strong, but I’m not.

Thankfully, He is.

Lamentations 3:19-24 (Contemporary English Version) says this:

‘Just thinking of my troubles
and my lonely wandering
makes me miserable.
That’s all I ever think about,
and I am depressed.
Then I remember something
that fills me with hope.
The Lord’s kindness never fails!
If he had not been merciful,
we would have been destroyed.
The Lord can always be trusted
to show mercy each morning.
Deep in my heart I say,
“The Lord is all I need;
I can depend on him!”’

Peter tells us this truth about our Savior:

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” 1 Peter 5:7

Because friends, we are all human. We all cry and feel helpless and worry. But that isn’t the life the Lord wants for us. We are blessed in that our Lord tells us to hand everything over to Him, and just keep moving forward.

When I start to worry that Jonah will never arrive, that the adoption process will never move along, that I will never be able to have a body that functions like “it should”… I remember that He’s got this.

I remind myself that:

“Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him.” Philippians 3:8-9a (NLT)

And when I lay aside everything else, and focus in on Him and His AWESOMENESS, my troubles melt away and nothing else matters but basking in that love and sharing it with other people.

As my “Jesus Today” devotional reminded me this morning:

“The world applauds self-sufficiency…However, this is not the way of My kingdom. I want My children to recognize and rejoice in their utter dependence on Me…When the strain of living in the fallen world is getting you down, resist the temptation to feel sorry for yourself. Instead say to yourself, ‘I am blessed and thankful – and on my way to His Glory!’”

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TTC Tuesday

So Much To Be Thankful For!

Tuesday

Today’s Blog:

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My Choice Monday

What’s For Dinner??

MondayWelcome to Monday!! Hopefully, all of you had wonderful weekends! We definitely did!!

This morning I was blessed with a beautiful surprise, and the entire course of this morning’s post changed! My sweet little grandmother from New Jersey called and let me know she flew into town and is in Atlanta! How exciting! Craig is still in town, so we are meeting her this evening after work and taking her to dinner.

Now, this sudden scenario may not seem an ‘issue’ to any of you, but yours truly is a PLANNER with a capital “P”, and immediately, my mind has gone into overdrive:

STOPSo, in your neighborhood, where would you take a surprise out of town guest for a casual, yet classy, not loud dinner? (Seriously, we want your answers below in the comments! You just never know when YOU will be in another town and not know where to eat…and I don’t mean a big chain restaurant either!)

Here are a few ideas in some of our favorite cities:

Empire State South – This little gem in the heart of Midtown Atlanta not only is a go-to for dinner. They offer breakfast, brunch and lunch, as well – not to mention some delicious desserts and libations! It’s a classy, casual setting – and perfect for out-of-town guests, as many of it’s food options are regionally delicious.

 

OK Cafe – While not even close to ‘fancy’, this is an Atlanta classic with DELICIOUS food and if you’re in the mood for comfort in a diner setting, this is the place to go! Breakfast, lunch, dinner, take-away – it’s all awesome! I highly recommend the Rocket Burger. Yum!

Pompeii Pizza – Located in Elk River, Minnesota (about an hour outside of the Twin Cities), we read rave reviews about this local pizzeria in Midwest Living magazine – and just had to try it out. It was delightful – This Italian girl can attest to pizza worth ‘wasting’ calories on, and this is it! Not only were their pizza and salads yummy, Craig found some local brews he was pretty impressed with, as well!

Chatterbox Pub – This neighborhood bar/restaurant in St. Paul, MN, will always remind me of our dating days. It’s one of the first places I went with Craig & his family, one of the first visits I ever made to Minnesota – fond memories for sure! 🙂 The food was tasty; the drinks were satisfying and there were even games to play while you waited for your food. Perfect!

The Mash House – This brewery/restaurant came highly recommended by my parents on a trip to the town in which I spent a good portion of my childhood – Fayetteville, North Carolina. Craig and I paid them a visit last year and were in no way disappointed! Steaks, shrimp, pasta, fish, sandwiches, burgers, salads, brewed-in-house beer… We may just go back simply to eat there again!


 

What are your go-to restaurants? Let us know, and we just may meet you there for a bite!

You’ll have to wait until later this week to find out just where we eat tonight with Grandma Flo! 🙂

xoxo

Food For Thought Friday

Friday Finds

Friday2Happy Happy Happy Friday!

Today’s post is a random assortment of great places to visit around the web or in your city.

Pray The Rosary Online (or just discover what this beautiful prayer is all about!)

Click The Image To Be Directed To The Page

Run/Walk/Enjoy The Color Fun Fest In Your City

Click The Image To Find Out When The Color Fun Fest Is In Your City

A Great Deal On A Great (hint hint) Date In Atlanta

Click The Image For The Deal!

For Those With Kids: GraceMats!!

Click The Image To Find Out How YOU Can Purchase A GraceMat

We hope your weekend is wonderful!! Don’t forget to tune-in SATURDAY (tomorrow) to Footprints On My Heart where we are guest posting!!

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Click The Image To Visit Footprints On My Heart

And one FINAL reminder, today is the LAST DAY TO REGISTER FOR OUR GIVEAWAY!! Trust me, you’re going to want this precious little book!! Enter to win before it’s too late!

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What's Up Wednesday

More Ice, Winter Jam, Work & A Challenge Met!

Wednesday

{Please view this post within a browser to access the included video.}

So, what’s up in your neck of the woods? Here in Georgia, we are shut down once more – but this time, it’s due to an unprecedented ice storm – a storm that woke me up in the wee hours of the morning.

Yesterday Near Where Craig & I Live

It doesn’t look bad, but even the poor doggies were slipping around when I have taken them out to potty in our backyard. I can’t imagine the roads…They are expecting up to 1″ of ice. Yikes.

Our back deck...That's one of Lucy's HUGE bones - buried in ice!
Our back deck…That’s one of Lucy’s HUGE bones – buried in ice!

In other news, this past week, as you know, we attended Winter Jam 2014:

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Look At All Those People!
No rain & not a cloud in the sky...But there were definitely beautiful rainbows peering down on us as we waited in line!
No rain & not a cloud in the sky…But there were definitely beautiful rainbows peering down on us as we waited in line!

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Every different genre of music was represented…There were amazing stories and testimonies shared… Georgia Bulldogs’ Coach Mark Richt spoke; Nik Wallenda walked across the Dome on a tightrope; A youth pastor from Minneapolis shared a wonderful sermon…We were SO blessed by the experience! God definitely led us to the Georgia Dome. There is no doubt.

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On a lighter note, Monday was my first day as a permanent and ‘official’ employee with CHEP. It’s very exciting – This company is AWESOME and I am so happy to be a part of it!

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Oh, and with Craig’s encouragement and expert driving ability during our last icy mess, in January, I completed Pure Barre’s 21 Day Challenge! Yay! Yep, that means, in one month, I completed 21 classes on 21 different days! I won’t say it wasn’t TOUGH (IT WAS!!!!), but it was so worth it!

pb1Hope all of you are having a wonderful afternoon!! Stay warm!!!

xoxo

My Choice Monday

God’s Not Dead; He’s Surely Alive!

Monday

Welcome to Monday Everyone!

Craig & I had so much fun at Winter Jam 2014! What an awesome experience!

Today, the following movie, set to premier on March 21st, is our “pick” for My Choice Monday: {Note: You will need to view this post in a browser in order to view the trailer.}

Newsboys played at Winter Jam this year, and since they are a part of the movie, the trailer was shown at the event! We are SO excited to see this film and really feel like it will be a part of a great movement!

Stay tuned for pictures and video of Winter Jam in Atlanta on What’s Up Wednesday! In the meantime, stay warm! It looks like this city may be on it’s way to Winter Wonderland again…

xoxo

My Choice Monday

In Case Of Emergency…

MondayIn light of the recent inclement weather, and ensuing traffic gridlock nightmare that was Atlanta last week, today’s post is a collection of things you might want to think about stowing away in a little bag in your vehicle…just in case. While you may not live in an area in which you feel like the Icepocalypse might ever be a threat, even in this age of cell phones and ON-STAR, you can still be stranded on the road.

As we learned in Atlanta last week, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

1. Mayday Urban Road Warrior Kit

This kit includes almost everything one could possibly need in an emergency situation – whether inside your car, or elsewhere. The price is a SMALL investment for the assurance of safety!

2. Fleece Blanket

It may seem like overkill, but if  you can’t leave your vehicle running to keep the heater on, you’ll be GLAD you have a blanket. The previous kit includes a solar blanket, but this will ensure you’re warm and comfortable.

3. Bottled Water
I was personally “trapped” in my vehicle for more than 9 hours. Trust me. Water is a great thing to have on hand. In some situations, this past week included, you don’t know when you’ll be able to find shelter and food/water. Staying hydrated is key to safety, and in some cases, survival – if it comes to that.
 
4. 64 oz Containers

Hey y’all. Nature calls – and it doesn’t stop knocking. I know, personally, one of my ongoing, numerous prayers on Tuesday was, “Lord, please take away my ‘potty urge’!!!”. Seriously. 

Not to mention, having containers like this one on hand, would be a help in a variety of situations:

  • emergency potty
  • “sick bag”
  • keeping your wallet & cell phone dry
5. Candy Crush
 
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If you don’t already, you seriously must have this game downloaded on one of your devices. Not only is it addictive and a lot of challenging fun, I believe it is part of what kept me sane for some of those long hours in the car. (Let me reiterate I did not play any games or operate my phone, etc. whilst moving in traffic – only while stopped, with the car in PARK.) It was a great mental break, and helped to keep your mind focused on something other than the disaster at hand.

6. Car Charger For Your Electronic Device or Mobile Phone

This is a good thing to have in your car, regardless of the situation, but I promise you, I felt so much safer knowing my phone had no chance of running out of battery during my trek home. It was super comforting to be able to talk to Craig with no concerns of having to be ‘stranded’ with no means of communication.

Whew! We are glad to be safe and sound, and now, unfortunately, back to the office (or cockpit), as well. It was a nice break while it lasted; however, temperatures last night were comparable to a spring evening. We grilled out on our deck for dinner in short sleeves! Quite a change! 🙂

The next time we have an ’emergency’ situation while traveling in our vehicles, we will be prepared (and now so will YOU!)!

Until Tomorrow!

XOXO,
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